Matilda Torres Indoor Percussion Group Sets Record with Championship Win
At Matilda Torres High School, the sound of drums echoing through the gym is nothing new. But this season, that sound carried the group to a historic moment.
The school’s indoor percussion team took first place in at the South Valley Winter Arts Association championships in Hanford, earning a score of 90.75. That is the highest recorded score in the 11-year history of the circuit.
For percussion director Jose Ledesma, the moment was much bigger than just a win.
“It’s a huge win for us, because it’s the first gold medal that we’ve ever received in the school’s history,” Ledesma said.
Indoor percussion blends music, movement, and storytelling into a performance that takes place on a gym floor (unlike typical marching band performances on the football field). Each show is carefully designed with a beginning, middle and end. And this Torres show was commissioned, meaning it was designed especially for the Toros.
This year’s show, titled “To Dream,” explored what it means to hold onto, or lose, your goals over time.
The Work
For students, those minutes on the performance floor after months of preparation and repetition of the music and choreography.
Matt Sarmiento, who was appointed as the battery caption head this year, works closely with the drumline year in and year out. He said the achievement reflects the student’s hard work and commitment.
“I credit the students,” Sarmiento said. “They’re the ones who put on the drums, get out the sticks, and they really make the show come to life.”
That work is not always easy. Long nights at rehearsals and far drives for competitions are overwhelming at times, students say, especially to get everything to come together in such a high-pressure moment.
Senior marimba player Andres Calvario-Torres said that performing in front of crowded gym bleachers still brings nerves, no matter how much practice goes into it.
“You walk into the gym and there’s hecka people…that’s when the nerves get to you,” he said.
A Memorable Moment
On championship day, when the final scores were announced at the end of the night, the group celebrated what they thought was simply their championship win. But that wasn’t all.
“My first reaction was ‘We won. Yes!’ And we thought that was it. And then they started announcing a new record, and immediately was like ‘Wait. New record. That’s us.’ I was like ‘Oh wow! Mind. Blown’.”
For senior snare player Bryden Mendez-Estrada, the moment was emotional.
“I began tearing up and when it was revealed that we broke the record, more of the emotions came out and I was more grateful for the people I was with and that I was able to break it with them,” he said.
Matilda Torres High School is still a relatively new campus in Madera Unified. It opened in 2020 and leaders are excited for these achievements.
Principal Sabrina Rodriguez said programs like indoor percussion give students a reason to stay engaged.
“It’s within the wheelhouse of their interest. And I think any time you can find relevancy and interest in learning, like it’s just beautiful,” Rodriguez said. “Like kids don’t have to do it, they get to do it and they want to do it and that makes all the difference.”
Across the district, the success is being noticed.
Madera Unified Superintendent Todd Liles said achievements like this highlight the potential students already have.
“Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not,” Liles said. “What it tells me about the kids in Madera Unified is they always had this ability, this potential was always there, but the opportunity wasn’t always there.”
For Ledesma, the record win is a good sign for what comes next.
As this season comes to a close, the impact of that message is being felt, not just in scores, but also in confidence and pride.